Midnight in Paris -- 3 stars

We went to see Woody Allen's movie, "Midnight in Paris" at the Evanston Century cinema last night. I don't know about you, but for myself, I've pretty much given up on Woody Allen. But we wanted a date night out, and this seemed like a plausible choice. We're glad we did -- this was an entertaining and engaging movie.

First, a quick note about the Evanston Century. Why can't more movie theaters be like this. Clean, wide open spaces, big theater seating. Food beyond candy. What's not to like?

As for the movie -- again, what's not to like? [SPOILER ALERT -- stop here if you don't want to know why we liked it.]

This is a highly amusing fantasy set in Paris. Gil (Owen Wilson -- who we thought was a bit too faux cute here) and Inez are in Paris on the eve of their marriage along with Inez's stuffy parents and another couple (including the hilariously pedantic and snooty Paul). Gil is a Hollywood writer who wants to write novels instead and move to Paris. He is unhappy with the present and dreams that he could live in Paris during the 1920s.

And so he does. One evening as the clock strikes midnight, an old car pulls up and he is invited inside. So begins his adventure in the 1920s -- each night meeting new characters. With Gil, we find ourselves seeing an imagined F. Scott Fitzgerald, Cole Porter, Ernest Hemingway and many more (including an especially over the top Salvador Dali!).

But most of all, he meets Adrianne -- a model for and lover of Picasso, and falls in love with her. His growing love for her contrasts with the decline of his relationship with Inez, back in 2010. He is increasingly distracted in the "real" world, and finds himself talking to a young woman who sells antique records.

Oddly enough, however, Adrianne doesn't like 1920s Paris -- she'd rather live in the Belle Epoque of the 1890s, which, to her, is better than her present. Sure enough, as they grow closer, Gil and Adrianne find themselves moving further backward to Maxims, where they meet Degas, Gaugain and Lautrec. Adrianne wants to stay, but when Gaugain says that he wishes he could have lived during the Renaissance, Gil realizes that everyone pines for the past, but that the present is where life truly is.

Gil returns to 2010, dumps Inez and resolves to write a novel. In the final scene, he re-meets the antique record seller on a rainy bridge in modern Paris. They walk into the distance with a great clarinet tune playing in the background.

The movie was inventive and intellectually challenging without being too preachy or self-absorbed. It will stay with us for a while and is certainly worth watching.